Wrap-around carriers are tightly drawn about the articles to be packaged in order to prevent the articles from moving toward the open ends of the carrier during shipment and handling. To further ensure a secure package, carriers designed to accommodate beverage bottles are normally provided with cutouts in the side panels which allow the bottom or heel portion of the bottles to extend out beyond the side panel. As a result, the bottles are better held in place by the bite between their bottom portions and the side edges of the cutouts. Despite the success of such carriers it is desirable to provide even greater restriction to bottle movement, especially in wrap-around carriers used for packaging relatively large bottles or bottles whose bottom portions are not of a constant diameter.
One approach to further restricting bottle movement in a wrap-around carrier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,047, which is directed to the use of a particular type of retaining flap connected to the end cutout edges. When folded in as the wrapper is applied, the flaps engage the heels of the bottles at the ends of the carrier. The flaps are of highly specialized design, restricted to carriers having sloped heel panels and required to extend up into the side panel in such a manner as to preclude the provision of side panel tabs. Such tabs, which conventionally extend down to the top of the heel cutouts, exert inward pressure against the bottles to assist in securely maintaining the bottles in place.
A main object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a wrap-around carrier having improved article retaining flaps which are not restricted in the manner of the prior art retaining flaps.